In order to create constellations comprising a great many identical artificial satellites of small dimensions (mass typically less than 500 kg, or even 200 kg), it is known practice to perform grouped launches. Several satellites, or even several tens of satellites in some instances, have therefore to be arranged under the fairing of one and the same launcher so that they can be put into orbit simultaneously. These satellites are fixed to a “dispenser” which is a tubular element placed along the axis of the fairing of the launcher and equipped with mechanical interfaces for anchoring the satellites; this then yields a rigid assembly that may be considered to constitute the payload of the launcher. Out in space, after this assembly has been released, pyrotechnic charges detach the satellites from the dispenser. In addition, spring-loaded “ejection fingers” incorporated into the mechanical interfaces apply thrust to the satellites in a radial direction, so as to disperse the cluster of satellites that has just been released.
FIG. 1 shows an assembly of satellites SAT under the fairing CL of a launcher according to the prior art. The dispenser D has a cylindrical shape, with an axis z coinciding with the longitudinal axis of the fairing. The satellites are arranged on the surface of the dispenser where they form a plurality of stages E1, E2, E3, E4 that are aligned in the axial, or longitudinal, direction. Each stage is made up of a ring of satellites—18 in the example considered—surrounding the dispenser. The satellites of the various stages are aligned in the longitudinal direction, although that is not essential. In the example of FIG. 1, radial partitions are provided to separate the satellites of each stage, but that is optional.
The arrangement of FIG. 1 allows the grouped launch of 72 satellites, provided that they are small enough in volume to comply with the fairing size constraints. In the case of a Falcon 9 launcher, that presupposes that the dimensions of each satellite do not exceed 1000×500×500 mm. If the satellites are larger in size, then the number of them has to be reduced which means that, for a given constellation, the number of launches has to be increased, leading to a very substantial increase in cost.
Other assemblies of satellites under fairings are described, inter alia, by documents U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,672 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,582. They have the same disadvantage as the assembly of FIG. 1, namely somewhat inefficient use of the storage volume available.